Storage plant for inflammable fluids.



\ H. C. E. BRUUN.

STORAGE PLANT FOB INFLAIVHVABLE FLUIDS. APPLICATIoN F|LED 1AN.19.1912.\

Patented May 23, 1916.

NS CHRISTIAN BRU'UN, 0F COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

STORAGE PLNT FOR INFLAMMABLE I FIJUJEDS.

Maceo.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 19116..

Appli-cation led January 19, 1912. Serial-No. 672,194.

l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HANS CHRISTIAN ERIK BRUUN, subject of the King ofDenmark, residing at Copenhagen, @ster Farmingsgade 93, Denmark, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Storage Plants for In@ v thatthe possibility of an .accumulation of inflammable gases in the tank isprecluded.

A further distinguishing feature of the plant is that the discharge fromthe tank maybe effected without the use of a pump or the like, z'. e.merely in consequence of -the constant water-pressure acting in thetank, as the water level in the tank is constantly kept at a certaindefinite level by means of a suitable self-acting water supplyingdevice.

Another d istinguishing feature of this plant is that the tank may bekept" full, without the use of pressure pumps, or the like, inserted inthe supply pipe.

- On the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is shown in verticalsection astorage plant embodying the invention and designed for storing fluidslighter than water; and Fig. 2 a modified form of the storage tank.

The tankl with feet 2 rests on the bottom 3 of the basin or pit whosewalls are marked 1 and which is open at top. The pit is fitted, atbottom, with an outlet 5 having a closing device 6, which by means of asuit-l v. able gear (not shown on the drawing) may be worked from above,and with an overflow 7, preventing the water from rising above thenormal level 8. The clear opening of this overflow-pipe must be at leastequal to that of the supply-pipe 11. Besides, the pit is fitted `with asupply-pipe 9 from a small basin 10, whose water-level may be maintainedconstant, for instance by the admission of pressure waterthrough -anordinary ball-cock which in the usual manner may be entirely closed byhand, This cl0sing by hand would, for instance, be necessary when thetank 1 is going to be filled with the inflammable fluid.

Just below thc roofjof the tank l ends the supplypipe 11, tted with aclosing device. l

71th its open end projecting slightly below` the highest point of theroof is adischargpipe 12, equally fitted with a closing device said pipe12 leading down to a dischargepit 13, and having its-outlet 14 locatedat a certain depth below the water surface 8 in the basin. r1`heinlet ofthe discharge-tube 12 extends, as illustrated in the drawing,

somewhat below the highest point of the tank, in order to prevent air orgases from entering from the top of the tank into the discharge-pipe.

The bottom of the tank is fittedwith an Opening 16, s0 that the interiorof the tank is in permanent connection with the basin surrounding same.This opening must be at least as large asthe clear width of thesupply-pipe 11.

Whenthe vtank is emptied, i. e. its contents drawn outthrough thedischarge-pipe, the water ,will have penetrated from the basin into thetank through the opening 16,` ,and will have filled it completely, aswell as the pipe 15 up to the level of thev water in the basin. Whenfresh inflammable fluid is to be fed in by way of the supply-pipe 11,the Water now contained in the tank will assist in drawing in theinflammable fluid. This is4 accomplished by first closing by hand theball cock at 10,- and the valve in pipe 15, and then opening the valveson pipes 5 and 11 so that the inflammable fluid will enter from pipe 11while the water is drawn out through the opening 16 and through thedischarge-,pipes 7 and 5 until the tank is filled while the water level8 is falling, whereupon the valves on pipes 5 and 11 are again closed.and those at 10 and 15 again opened. Hereafter the discharge may againbe effected by opening the closing device in the pipe 12,

as the contents of the tank will then flow away through the said pipe,0n account of' specific gravity, and during the discharge of the fluidits surface will always remain at a higher level than that of the waterin the basin until the whole amount of inflammable fluid has beendischarged.. At this fluid is discharged and said pipe may suit-` ablyoriginate from the basin 10 and be fitted with a check-valve not shown.Hereby it is attained-thah-the Water delivered into the tank is alwaysfresh sludge from the bottom ofthe tank not being able to find its wayinto the tank, during the discharge and the suction caused thereby. Thismodification is illustrated in Fig. 2,'where 17 is the pipe connectingbasin 10I and tank 1- while 18 is the valve closing outlet 16 andopening outward.

The fluid may be supplied into the tankv without the use of a pump, asby opening the valve 6 and closing the valve in the vent 15, the iuidwill be drawn in by suction through the pipe 11. Even without the lastnamed valve being closed, the fluid may be supplied. in this manner intothe tank, although in this case no suction, will take place. Thesecircumstances are mainly'important when discharging from tank cars andespecially from tank ships. cars or the ships the fluid may be drawn,

without the use of a pump, even when the fluid surface of the tank isbelow the level of the basin. Hereby are avoided the "danger of fire andthe danger of electricity produced'by friction which are always present-where a mechanically driven pump is used on board the tank car or thetank ship.

Another advantage gained is that the supply pipe 11 may eventually beemptied completely of the infiammable fluid, contained therein, so thatthe danger of fire is also removed from this pipe. In order to attainthis, itis only necessary, at last, to supply water to the free end ofthe pipe (in the tank car o1' the tank ship) so that it will F111.itself with water which then pushes the inflammable fluid ahead and downinto the tank-1. The valve at the lower end of pipe 15 is, of course,kept open under ordinary circumstances and is only closed in the casethat the infiammable vapors escaping through pipe 15 catch ire at theloutlet of said pipe. When the valve in the pipeis then closed, the firewill stop as soon as it` reaches down to said valve. 4

The valves on the pipes 11, 12 and 15,111 y be placedbelow the water, asit is difiicult to make the valves tight against benzin, petroleum andsimilar fluids. The entire supply pipe 11 may advantageously be arrangedso that it is surrounded by water, at least as'long as the iuid is drawnthrough it into the tank 1. Hereby it is attained that any infiltrationof air, at leaking points, is avoided, and thus the formation ofexplosive gases, due to such leakage, is prevented.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is A tank for inflammable fluids constructed with anupwardly tapering roof, and provided With an opening-at its bottom, saidtank having a supply pipe and a discharge pipe, ea'ch provided withsuitable valves for the inflammable fluid, said discharge pipe openinginto the tank below its highest point, a water filledvessel in which thetank is submerged co` 1nmunicating1g with the interiorof the tank`through said bottom opening and means for draining and for maintainingthe water at a constant levelin the vessel; a narrow upwardly extendingpipe from the highest point of theroof of. the tank and a 4valve for;said narrow pipe, whereby the surface of the inflammable fluid will risein said narrow pipe, when its valve stands open, to a level above thatof the surrounding water, said taperin roof and narrow pipe thuscollecting all air and gas presnt in the tank and leading them outthererom.

The foregoing specification signed at Co-`

